Pokemon Chrysanthemum
by twylock
Summary: Coward Cellarmind is a bully. Or, was a bully. His life was saved by some mysterious little girl who tells him to change his ways. Coward makes an effort to do so, but he gets possessed by an evil fairy known as a Dybbuk. In order to be free of the Dybbuk, Coward must catch 99 Fairy Pokémon so they can bless him with their powers and set him free. (Please R and R!)
1. Chapter 1

Ten fingers. Two feet. Two eyes. One mind. One heart.

These are the tools of mankind. We use them to make or destroy things. What path will you choose? Will you choose to end it all, or make amends and start anew again? You could be the key to salvation or the door to destruction. You could be heaven, or you could be hell.

It all begins with a choice. I guess it all depends on what you believe in. What do you believe in? And what will it help you achieve?

I had to make a decision. I didn't want to, but I did. One day, you will have to make a decision as well.

With whatever choice you make, know this;

Choose wisely. Make one mistake and we're all dead.

-Sincerely, Someone Who Made a Choice

 **Pokemon Chrysanthemum**

 **Prologue**

 _The wood holding the short bridge together began to rot, growing mold and falling apart whenever anyone crossed it. One day, as a small child, I dared myself to cross the bridge without falling into the river below it._

 _I dashed across the surface as it creaked and cracked beneath my feet. I made it across without falling into the rushing waters below, and I laughed in defiance of the structure. Thinking if I could make across the bridge once, then I could do it twice, I skipped onto the bridge once more._

 _It broke._

 _I fell into the river underneath, and since I didn't know how to swim, I screeched and yelled for help, but no one was close enough to hear me. I thought I would die, until something took a grip on my hand. It pulled me out of the water and onto the surface, grunting as it did so. I coughed and spat up water, and then looked to see who saved me._

 _No one was there, but then someone ran up to me._

 _I smiled. "Were you the one who saved me?"_

 _The person looked confused. "What? What are you talking about?"_

 _"Did you save me from drowning?"_

 _"No, it wasn't me. But...it's...it's just..."_

 _"What?"_

 _"It's your mother...she's dead."_

 _I stood in disbelief at the man, and I stumbled and fell, beginning to cry in the dreary town of Laverre City._

...

 **Chapter 1**

 _ **Ten Years Later**_

"GET HIM!"

Dirty orange sneakers dashed across the sidewalk at midnight, the wearer of the sneakers turning his head left to right, his face covered in mud and bruises. He made a left and tried to outrun the police-officer chasing him.

He tripped and dropped the item he held in his hands; a wallet from a female tourist. He fell in a puddle and splashed in the murky waters.

A flashlight shined its light, illuminating the darkness and showing the sight of the boy on the ground. The boy groaned, as he knew he was caught.

The police-officer chuckled. "Hands behind your back, boy. You're coming down to the station."

...

The scrawny teenage boy with short, ruffled auburn hair and tired hazel eyes wore a dirty orange hoodie and tattered black skinny jeans, sitting in the jail-cell with his arms crossed, shivering in the cold air. That's me.

Finally, a man that looked similar to me, but older, came in through the front doors of the Police Station and bailed me out. That's my Dad. And boy, is he pissed.

Once the two of us walked out of the Station, my father smacked me across the back of my head. "What the hell were you thinking, Coward?"

He wasn't just being rude when he called me Coward. My real name is actually Coward. Coward Cellarmind, if you want to be specific. My mother named me Coward not because she hated me, but because she's from another country with a different language where the word "coward" means "courage". The irony is, over here in the Johto Region, we don't use the word "coward" the same way my mother used it in her home region.

I didn't talk back to my father. That only made him angrier. "Can you justify the reason why exactly you STOLE that wallet from that innocent woman?"

I bit my lip and said something under my breath. My dad was positively writhing. "What did you say?"

"I said, it's none of your business!"

He hit me again. "Don't you _dare_ use that tone with me, you IDIOT! How dare you do something as horrible as this?! Who the hell do you think you are!?"

I didn't speak back that time. I got in the car with my father and he barely spoke a word to me the whole drive home.

He let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry I was hard on you. It's just...why? Why would you do that? You're usually such a good guy, Coward."

I rolled my eyes and rubbed the bruise my father gave me from that last hit.

"There was this guy..." I began.

"And...?"

"He said...he said that if I paid him money, he wouldn't blackmail me anymore."

"Someone is BLACKMAILING you?!" He gasped. "Why didn't you tell me? I could've done something! We would've told the police! You didn't have to resort to STEALING, for god's sake!"

"He said that it had to be a credit card, not money, so I had to steal a credit card from someone. I didn't want to take _your_ card, so I thought it would be better if I took a card from some rude tourist who deserved to have their money stolen."

"That is no excuse, young man! You know better than this! I can't believe I had to bail you out of jail! I never thought I would have to, of all the things-" His angry ramblings went on and on, even as we entered our house.

"You are grounded, young man! No going out, no TV, no videogames, NOTHING! Go to your room!"

I ran upstairs to my bedroom and locked the door behind me. I fell to my knees, and I bit my lip, beginning to cry. There was a reason why that boy was blackmailing me.

I've been bullying kids for years. Ever since my mom died, I've been angry and alone, my father too busy with his work and his new girlfriend to talk to me and hang out like we used to. I took out this anger on other people in my life and taunted and bullied kids I thought were weak. They cried and sobbed and felt worthless, and it was all my fault.

One day, one of my victims couldn't take it anymore and blackmailed me.

"My father is a police officer. I'll tell him all about your taunts and how you push me around. I won't tell anyone as long as you steal some money for me. A credit card, specifically. Something expensive-looking, got it?"

I thought he was bluffing at first to scare me, but then I found out what he said was actually true. So, I stole what he asked for, but then got caught.

A million thoughts raced through my mind at the same time. I thought about how Dad must be so disappointed in me right now. Well, if he had the ability to be disappointed in something, then that would mean he could comprehend human emotions. Unfortunately, that wouldn't happen anytime soon, so I guess that rules out the disappointment.

Then I thought about Mom. If she was here, then maybe this wouldn't be happening. It's all his fault, you know. My Dad went and threw a fit one day at Mom, and she got upset and left him. She decided to go live with her mother for a while while she sorted things out with my father. On her drive to her mother's house, however, she go in an accident.

I can't even call it an accident-it was too gruesome to just be a simple "mistake". It was all Dad's fault. He got upset at Mom over something STUPID, causing her to leave, and she wouldn't have gotten killed if she hadn't left. My Dad's always been a prick like that.

If I was a demon, then he was the devil.

My back was against my bedroom door, and I sobbed and sobbed, burying my face in my knees. I wasn't crying because I was grounded, or because I got caught, or any of those stupid things. I cried because I was a heartless bastard with no future and no friends. Damn it, I felt so _stupid_. Oh god, the looks on those kids' faces-the kids who said they couldn't take life anymore, that they didn't wanna live, and all because of me.

My own father couldn't stand me, and I sure as hell couldn't stand him. Other kids couldn't stand me, which was my own fault. My Mom was probably turning in her grave right now...

I've thought time and time again that maybe one day those kids would forgive me, that maybe things would be better one day...

Let's not get overzealous here! I've always been a huge piece of SHIT! I would kill myself, but I'm too much of a selfish DUMBASS to take my own life! Having said that, I should just BURN IN HELL!

Tears streamed down my face, and I tried to keep my cries quiet, fearing my father would hear.

Finally, it was my turn to not take it anymore.

I picked up a pair of scissors off of my desk and aimed it for my throat. I trembled, fearing the pain, but then I reminded myself I deserved it.

I closed my eyes, and grimaced as the blade sliced into my skin...

...but something smacked the blade out of my hands so that it missed my throat and just cut my cheek.

My eyes widened as I looked upon where I was now. For some reason, I had been transported to a place where pink fog had filled the air, warm lights slightly illuminating the darkness. I floated in midair, and I saw a girl who floated there in front of me, her expression giving me a look of disgust.

She was a petite little girl with big eyes and short brown hair. She wore a pink Alice-in-Wonderland-like dress, and she had her hands placed on her tiny hips.

"Wh-What the hell..."

"How dare you give up this easily? Think of who will miss you when you are gone! Think of the person who needs you in his life! And how can you leave this world without even telling the people you tortured that you're sorry? That you didn't mean any of the things that you said to them? That you were just in a dark place at the time and needed help, but no one was there to help you! You really ARE a coward if you're going to quit this easily!" The girl blinked with her long eyelashes and sighed. "You can't give up...not now..."

Then when I blinked again, she was gone.

I was in my bedroom again, and everything was back to normal. I looked around to try and find the girl, but she was nowhere to be found. Was she even real? Was she a hallucination caused by all the stress?

I finally came to my senses and decided to not mess with the scissors again. As the cut on the face throbbed as it oozed red, I groaned amidst all of the insanity and buried my face in my knees again.

...

My dad drove me to school that morning. I wearily grabbed my things, about to leave the car, when he stopped me. "How did you get that cut on your face?"

"It's nothing."

"No, it's not. Did you hurt yourself on accident, or...?"

I was about to say something rude, but I hesitated. "I'm fine, dad. It was an accident."

I sighed as I entered the school building of Johto High, and people scoffed and scowled at me as I passed by, everyone disgusted by my mere appearance in the building. Two girls whispered to each other while they locked their eyes on me as I walked by them, and one of the boys I bullied quickly ran into a classroom so that he could avoid me. Fortunately for him, I wasn't quite feeling like a jackass today.

"Nana! Get back here!"

A shrill, girly voice schreeched from the other end of the hallway. People gasped and said things like, "Did she really bring that to school?" or "What a freak!"

Finally, the person who caused the noise and commotion came closer to me, running after a Pokemon that got away from her. Her Froakie hopped along the floor of the hallway and giggled as it thought they were playing a game together, but the Pokemon's owner didn't want to play a game right now and just wanted it to calm down and quit causing such a scene.

Finally, the teenage girl with long white hair, grey eyes and a big smile on her face caught her Pokemon, but she went too fast in her running and tripped, bumping into me.

She and her Pokemon gasped, as I was towering over them, being at least three feet taller than the girl. Her mouth quivered, and her small body trembled in fear. "Sorry, Mister..."

Everyone held their breaths, scared I was going to throw out a full-on hissy fit like I usually would in these situations, but I just sighed and smiled. "It's fine."

The crowd of students gasped, their mouths hanging open in awe. The white-haired girl smiled back at me, and she held out her hand to shake mine. "Th-thanks! My name is Jill Zhao!"

I shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Coward."

Jill didn't bat an eye at the sound my ridiculous name. "Nice to meet you as well!" She held up her Froakie. "This is Nana, my best friend! Say hello, Nana!"

Nana the Froakie stuck out her tongue at me, and Jill tsked at her. "Bad girl! No treats for you today!"

I chuckled at the cute little girl before me, and then suddenly a teacher came walking down the hallway. "Zhao? Is that a Pokemon? How many times do I have to tell you-no Pokemon are allowed in the school building!"

Jill gasped. "Whelp, gotta fly! See ya later, Coward!" She dashed off, leaving me in the dust.

I gave a little smile and turned to walk away, but then the teacher chasing Jill pointed her attention to me. "Ah, Mr. Cellarmind. I've been looking for you. Come with me."

...

I was brought to the office of the school, and I was asked to sit in a chair before the desk of the counselor with another kid sitting next to me, who trembled at the sight of me.

The counselor, Ms. Carter, gave a look of disgust at me. "Well, I hope you know why you're here, Mr. Cellarmind."

I looked at the boy who sat next to me; Rupert Applestock. He kept looking away, trying to not to meet eyes with me. This kid was one of my bullying victims, and he was obviously not glad to be here. He had short black hair, glasses in front of his green eyes, and he wore a white shirt that was half tucked into his black pants and half untucked.

I nodded. "Yes. I know."

Ms. Carter's eyebrows shoot up. "Oh, do you now? Can you explain why Mr. Applestock over here told me you had been bothering him?"

I stood up, and much to the two's surprise, I bowed to Rupert. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble. I don't expect you to forgive me, because the things I said were unforgiveable. I just want you to know I was going through a tough time when I picked on you, so I took out my anger on you. Again, I apologize."

Rupert and the counselor sat there and stared at me in disbelief.

Did I really just say that?

Ms. Carter cleared her throat. "Yes, well...even if you apologize, I'm still going to punish you for your actions. Detention for a month."

"I understand."

Carter still looked confused as to why I had such a sudden shift in personality. "W-Well...that's all for today. You're both dismissed."

Me and Rupert stood up and made our way to the door. Rupert awkwardly made his way past me, holding his books close to his chest. Suddenly, he halted in his tracks. "Did...did you really mean it?"

I looked at him for a second, surprised he talked to me as scared as he was. I finally smiled. "Yeah."

Rupert didn't smile back, but he bit his lip. "I'm not...I'm not going to forgive you immediately. What you did was wrong and cruel."

"I know."

"But...I undertand why you did that. You fall into a dark place whenever you're lonely with no one to help you, so taking your anger out on people like me is to be expected. Just...promise me you won't ever act like that to anyone ever again, okay?"

I nodded. "I promise."

Rupert gave a small smile to me and began walking to class. I sighed, and did not look forward to the boring month ahead of me. Little did I know that even as I would be grounded and in detention for a long time, I would have more than enough insanity to handle soon enough.

...

"I'm telling you, Professor! He doesn't have the capabilities to become your Trainer!"

"Nonsense! Anyone can become a Trainer if they put their heart into it."

My father paced up the hallway of the Professor Magnolia Labs building with Professor Magnolia herself.

"But...haven't you heard? He pickpocketed a woman the other day and got arrested. He's not Trainer material."

Magnolia gave a look of disbelief to my father. "All the more reason for him to become a Trainer! He'll learn how to behave and survive by learning life skills. For example, he'll have to take care of his own Pokemon, and if he doesn't take care of his Pokemon, they won't protect him from wild Pokemon that may potentially harm him. And, he'll learn how to live on his own and that you have to be a good person in order to survive, or else people will get angry at you and not want to help you with your problems!"

"I guess that's true...but...are you sure he has the potential to become a better person? Even after all he's done wrong?"

"Have some faith in him, Ross! He's your son, after all!"

Ross rolled his eyes and sighed. "Sometimes I wish he wasn't..."

Magnolia didn't hear that last part. "After he's done with school, bring him over to my lab so he can pick a starter and begin learning life skills!"

Ross groaned. "Yes, ma'am..."

...

As the lunch-hour came upon us, I made my way into the cafeteria. People stopped their conversations as they watched walk by their tables, their glaring stares endless.

I sat at an empty table as always, as no one would ever let me sit at their table. That it is, until I heard a high-pitched voice behind me go, "O-M-G! How's it going, Coward?"

Jill hopped over to me, her navy-blue dress twirling around with every step the girl made. "What are you doing alone, dude?" She turned to her table of friends. "Hey! Can we let Coward sit with us today?"

The girls at the other table frantically made it obvious that they didn't want me there. Jill just shrugged and took a seat next to mine. "So!"

I chewed on my sandwich. "...So?"

"Why the empty table, bro? Got any friends?"

"Nah."

"Well, then _I'll_ be your friend!" Jill grinned proudly. "Let's begin the friendship by beginning some cheerful banter!"

"Did you call me 'bro'?"

"Sure did, bro!" Jill giggled. "See? We're already getting off to a great start! So...have you got any Pokemon?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Huh? Not even one?" Jill reached into her pocket. She pulled out a round object. "Here! This is a Pokemon egg! A baby Pokemon will hatch from it!"

I nearly choked on my food. "Wh-What?! You're giving me a Pokemon?"

Jill nodded. She rested the egg in my hands. "I already have a baby of my own," She said as she nudged her Froakie, "so I need someone to watch my other baby."

"B-But I barely know you!"

"...So?"

"You don't know me! I could be a bad person who would raise this badly!"

"Well...are you a bad person who will raise my Pokemon badly?"

"...Maybe."

Jill giggled. "You're silly. You seem like a nice guy, so why don't you do me a favor and take the egg?"

I hesitated for a moment, and then I sighed. I took the egg into my hands once more. "O-Okay...I guess..."

"Then that settles it! Starting today, you'll be a mother! I mean, father..."

The two of us went back and forth with our conversation, and everyone looked at us in confusion. Why would I act so different all of a sudden? Well...different was actually... _better_. I thought having friends would be a burden, but talking to someone was actually really nice. I think I liked having a friend.

...

After school, Dad and me pulled up to a building I'd never seen before, and in front of the building read a sign that said "PROFESSOR MAGNOLIA'S LABS".

I gasped. "Oh god, you're going to leave me to be experimented on here, aren't you?"

"What? No! Let's just say it's a surprise..."

I cringed in fear as I was forced into the building, fearing whatever horrors awaited me inside.

Instead of some frightful, nightmarish horror-story-like room being shown to me, a room full of Poke Balls, computers and Pokemon Professors appeared before me, a woman in a long white lab coat standing in front of a table with three Poke Balls on it.

The woman smiled and approached me. "So, you must be the famous Coward!"

I nodded, and the woman looked at me suspiciously. "Are you a boy or a girl?"

I blushed. "A boy, ma'am. Was it obvious I wasn't?"

The lady laughed, her long blond ponytail bopping up and down, her smile widening, her blue eyes glistening. "No, I just needed to note it down on your record."

"My record? For what?"

"For your Trainer record, of course!"

I looked at my father in confusion. "What is she talking about?"

"Huh?" The lady tilted her head in confusion. "Ross, you didn't tell him?"

Ross laughed nervously, and he smiled awkwardly at me. "Sorry, Coward. But me and Professor Magnolia here thought it would be a good idea to let you be a Trainer."

"A _Trainer?!_ " I gasped. "But...I don't want to be a-"

"HIIIIIIIIIII~!" A girl suddenly burst into the room. "Sorry I'm late! Traffic SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKED!"

I looked at the girl closely, and she seemed to be Jill, the kid from earlier. She smiled once she saw me. "Hey! It's you! Are you becoming a Trainer too?"

Before I could say anything, Magnolia spoke for me. "Yes, he is. Now, you two go ahead and pick a starter for yourselves. You can choose from a fire, a water, or grass type starter. Which one will you pick?"

Jill hopped up and down in excitement. "Oh, yay! Let's see..." She picked up the Poke Ball in the middle of the table, and out came a weird blue-alligator-thing. "Aw, it's so cute! What's it called?"

"That's Totodile. He's the water starter." Magnolia smiled.

I picked up the Poke Ball at the far right of the table, and a green creature with a leaf sprouting out of its head smiled at me.

"That's Chikorita, the grass starter."

Jill poked the last Poke Ball, and a small monster with fire coming out of its back sqeauked at us.

"And that's Cyndaquil, the fire starter. Which one will you guys choose?"

"Hm..." Jill looked among the three. "I think I'll pick..." She picked up the fire starter. "...Cyndaquil!"

I sighed. "Okay, um...I'll pick...Chikorita!"

Chikorita smiled, and said in a tiny female voice, "Chika!"

Magnolia looked to the Totodile. "Well, looks like you'll be my partner then, huh?" Totodile smiled and nodded.

I looked to my father. "Are...are you serious? Are you gonna make me become a Trainer?"

He nodded. "Yup. It'll be good for ya, I promise."

"But I don't want to be-"

"Hey!" Jill butted in. "Why don't we have a battle?"

I stuttered. "I...uh..."

Dad patted me on the back. "Come on, Coward!" He winked at me.

That dirty son of a-he's making me do this because it's punishment, isn't it? He knows I don't want to do this, that lying bastar-

Jill pulled my arm. "Come on! Let's go!" She laughed.

Before we could begin our battle, one of Magnolia's assistants ran into the room. "Pro-Professor! It's gotten loose!"

Magnolia's eyes widened. "What?! Uh, you kids wait here, I'll be right back."

We waited in awkward silence to see what was going on, and after a few minutes we could hear Magnolia's high-pitched screech. She came running back into the room, and she locked the door behind her. She ran up to a microphone on her desk and spoke through the intercom, "THE DYBBUK HAS GOTTEN LOOSE! I REPEAT, THE DYBBUK HAS GOTTEN LOOSE! EVACUATE THE BUILDING!"

Jill had a panicked expression on her face. "Wh-What? What's a Dybbuk?"

Magnolia shoved the back door open and forced us all through it. "It's an experiment! Get out before it hurts you!"

Everyone evacuated the building, and from the outside you could see the lab was catching on fire. You could hear deep roars echoing from inside the building as people shrieked and headed for cover.

My father made us all get in the car, and we sped off at top speed. "What the hell was that?!" Dad yelled a Magnolia, who was a nervous wreck.

Magnolia was now the one stuttering with a loss for words. "I-I just...we...we investigate fairy-type Pokemon at my lab...a-and...one day I came to find a box that people said had a fairy in it...so I thought it might be a rare or undiscovered fairy-type Pokemon...but...it wasn't...it was something much worse..." She began to bawl. "...and now I've unleashed it on the world...if I had just minded my own business...then this wouldn't have happened..."

As the Professor sobbed and sobbed, my Dad tried to calm her down. I looked nervously to Jill, who was just as scared as I was. She held her Froakie and Cyndaquil close, and the Pokemon cried in fear.

Suddenly, something seemed to latch on top of the car, as if something as giant as a dragon had just parked on top of the vehicle.

Magnolia shrieked, and the Pokemon cried even louder. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" My father yelled.

I let out a girly scream myself when the creature on top of the car stomped on roof again. It did it again and again, and my Dad tried to throw it off the car by driving even faster, veering from side to side.

Magnolia started praying. "OHGODFORGIVEMEOHGODFORGIVEMEWE'REALLGONNADIEWE'REALLGONNADIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE"

My father grew frustrated. "WOULD YOU KNOCK IT OFF?!"

Finally, the pressure that was on the roof disappeared, as if the creature on top had flown away. Everyone gave a sigh of relief. The Pokemon stopped crying, and Jill smiled at them. "Sh, it's okay..."

Suddenly, I felt pain surge through my chest. I groaned as I held my chest, everyone looking at me with confusion. "What's the matter, Coward?" Jill looked at me with scared eyes.

"I-It's nothing..."

Then I felt something stab my tongue. I yelped, and picked at mouth to try and find whatever sharp object had poked me. There was nothing in my mouth, just...my teeth. My teeth were getting longer and sharper, just monster's teeth. Each tooth became a razor blade, and soon I could feel my nails growing as well. I could shank a person with my nails, they were getting so sharp...

Jill gasped. "Oh my god! You...you're eyes..."

I looked up in the rear-view mirror and looked at my eyes. They were orange, looking like cat's eyes. I bit my lip, and then flinched when I felt the pain. I forgot my teeth were razor-sharp, so I cut my lip, and it began to bleed.

My vision became blurry, and my body felt cold. Jill frantically looked for help. "I think something's wrong with Coward!..."

Chikorita started growling at me. It glared at me as if I was an intruder, someone who did not belong here.

Suddenly, my body began to move on its own. My clawed hand grabbed ahold of Jill's throat and began choking her.

Magnolia gasped. "OH MY GOD! H-His eyes...the Dybbuk...it's the Dybbuk's curse..."

"C-Coward..." Jill breathed in short breaths. "...Wh-What are you doing?!"

My Dad looked at me through the rear-view mirror. "His eyes? What are you...C-COWARD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! STOP!"

Magnolia sobbed. "His eyes...oh god, his eyes..."

A smile grew across my face. " **tHe BeTTEr tO sEe YoU wItH, my DEaR!** "

"STOP THE CAR!" Magnolia screeched. "WE NEED TO PERFORM AN EXORCISM!"

...

 **Hi! Thanks for reading! This series is supposed to be the opposite of my other series, Pokemon Lavender, which is about Ghost-type Pokemon. Pokemon Crysanthemum, however, is about Fairy-type Pokemon. This story is in the same universe as Pokemon Lavender, but it's still meant to be the complete opposite of it in every way. If you're interested, please read the other story too, and if you like this story so far, please R and R! Thanks again! ^-^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Jill whipped a roll of duck-tape out of her purse and forced it around the boy's wrists, wrestling him to the ground. The monster boy laughed in spite of all this, his forked tongue showing as he cackled.

" **i ThOUgHt wE WeRE fRiEndS, jILL!** "

"Shut up, Satan!"

The girl and the others restrained the boy by appyling extra layers of tape around his wrists and ankles, forcing his body to be tied to the muddy ground, dirt covering the boy's face.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIS FACE?" The boy's father yelled after they finally restrained his monster son.

"It's the demon in him! It's transforming him into a monster!" Jill squeaked. She held up her fingers to make the shape of a cross. "May the power of Christ compel you! May the power of Christ compel you!"

The boy, still possessed by the demon, cackled in an inhuman voice. " **yOu'rE fUnnY.** "

The father began to panic. "Oh my god, this can't be happening...how do I...what do I...wh-why would this..." Even though he and his son had issues with each other in the past, the man was still worried over his only child, his pride and joy.

"There is only one way we can free him..." Magnolia said. She pulled a completely dark red Poke Ball out of her jacket's pocket.

"Wh-What is it?!" The father was desperate.

Professor Magnolia tossed the ball into the air, and a blinding light filled the area. Once the light died down, a Pokemon was visible. The top part of its body was humanoid, while the bottom half was made of rock and pink diamonds. The creature's hair was made of long, sparkling pink diamonds, and its eyes glittered like jewels. It was none other than Diancie, the Diamond Pokemon of legend.

"D-Diancie..." The man was speechless as he stared in awe at the Pokemon's beauty.

The creature levitated around the group of people and giggled. " _Professor, what are we going to do today?_ " She spoke telepathically to the group of people.

"This is Diancie. She's a Legendary Pokemon I found in the Kalos Region. She allowed me to study her and her powers so I could document them for the books." The Professor turned to the Pokemon. "I'm sorry, Diancie. We can't play together right now. I need you to do me a favor."

Diancie tilted her head in confusion. " _What is it?_ "

"Use your powers to bless this boy. I know you have holy powers since you're a Fairy-type, so force the demon out of the kid's body."

Diancie looked scared for a moment. She trembled slightly, speaking with a quivering voice. " _B-But...a demon? I don't know if I'm strong enough to..._ "

"I know you can do it. The power is in you, Diancie."

Diancie nodded, then tried focusing her energy. She held her hands together and closed her eyes, and a light emerged from inbetween her palms. A pink diamond twinkled between her hands, and the diamond flashed and sparkled, floating over to the boy. The jewel soon turned into thin air, it vaporating just as it reached the demon.

" **yOu'Re GOnNa nEEd tO dO BEtTer tHaN THat, diAnciE DEaR!** "

The Pokemon grew frustrated, and it groaned in anger. Then it tried clearing its mind and calming itself. Slowly but surely she created another diamond, this time the size of a pumpkin. Then bit by bit it grew to the size of the sky, the sky turning pink, glittering in the sunlight. It rained pink jewels, like a meteor shower, and the group of humans and Pokemon smiled and laughed as the diamonds came down, their beauty surpassing anything they had seen before.

When the jewels hit the boy on the ground, he hissed and struggled to get up and run away so it wouldn't hurt anymore, but he failed in doing so.

Then bit by bit the monster's cries of pain turned into vicious cackles that broke into the silence. " **YoU'LL nEed mOrE tHaN sOMe rhINesTonES to GeT rID oF Me, FAiRy-giRL!** "

Diancie grimaced as horrible pain surged throughout her body. She fell to the ground holding her chest. " _I don't know if I can do it...this is too much power...if I strain myself anymore, I might just...faint..._ "

The demon finally broke out of its binds and laughed as he broke free. He turned to face the group of people cowering in fear before him. He began inching towards them, speaking in a sing-song voice; " **jAcK aND JiLL wENt uP THe HiLL tO fEtCH a PAiL Of wATer...** "

Coward's father ran in front of the group to protect them. "DON'T TOUCH THEM!"

The boy, with tremendous strength, tossed the man aside like he was a rag doll. " **jACk FeLL dOWN AnD bROKE hiS CrOWN...** "

"ROSS!" Magnolia ran to help the man.

The demon pushed the Professor aside and picked up Jill by the throat to choke her. " **...aND JiLL cAME tUMbLing AfTeR!** "

He then threw the girl to the ground, giving her a concussion. Her head was bruised horribly and she began to bleed. "C-Coward...come on...you can't give up like this..."

Diancie floated over to the boy and stood between him and Jill. " _Coward! Is that your name?_ "

The demon laughed. " **nOt anYmORe.** "

" _Don't give up, Coward! Don't let him control you!_ "

I sat in my mind, no longer controlling my own body. Diancie heard my thoughts echo in her mind. "No one cares about me...my father hates me...I have no friends..."

Diancie relayed what I had said, and Jill began to cry. "You idiot! _I'm_ your friend! You're not alone, you asshole! No one wanted to like you because you were a bully, but you decided to change! That means you have a future! So you..." She sobbed. "...you can't just give up! You can't!"

My father sat up. "Don't say I don't love you! Just because...just because we been through some tough times together doesn't mean I'll just stop loving you. And...I'm sorry I've been mean to you at times...I don't mean it...I need you in my life! You're all I have left!"

My eyes widened. The demon began to screech in pain. He doubled over and held his head as he cried out. " **...stOP...StOP iT!** "

" _That's it, Coward! Fight back!_ " Diancie smiled.

"Help me...I don't have enough strength on my own..." I tried fighting off the demon.

Diancie nodded. " _Everyone! Believe in Coward! Use your power to help him!_ "

Everyone joined their hands and closed their eyes.

"Coward...believe in the future that you now have...that bright, wonderful future..." Jill thought.

Ross sighed. "I'm sorry...I know I'm a bad father...I promise from now on I'll be a better person for you, Coward..." He thought.

"Your Pokemon need you, Coward. Don't let them down..." Magnolia prayed for a miracle.

Diancie joined hands with the group and used the energy from everyone to project a pink aura that sparkled like diamond.

" _Go back from whence you came, demon!_ "

Diancie threw the ball of light and energy at the boy, and he was knocked off of his feet, rendering him unconcious when his head hit the ground.

The Pokemon flipped her hair sassy-like, and she made a little "hmph" noise. " _All demons like him can do is give you nightmares. He's just the monster under your bed that will scare you sometimes, but he can never actually hurt you because his existence's purpose is just to scare you and nothing more. How pathetic..._ "

Suddenly Diancie gasped, a rush of pain going through her body. Diancie stopped levitating and fell to the ground. Magnolia caught her just in time as the Pokemon lost much energy.

" _That took a lot out of me...I-I'm sorry...I think I...I think I only have enough energy to cast him out temporarily..._ "

"It's fine, honey," Magnolia smiled, "you did great."

Jill ran over to me and kneeled down to my level. "Look," She pointed out, "he's better now!"

The demonic features had disappeared from my face, and when my eyes opened, their color was amber once more.

When Jill saw I was okay, she squealed and squished me, suffocating me with a huge hug. "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHMYGODYOU'REOKAYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY"

I smiled, and then I met eyes with my father. We both stared in silence at each other for a moment before my father kneeled down and gave me a hug as well. I was surprised to say the least, but I was glad my father cared about me, and I returned the hug.

I gasped when I saw the blood on Jill's face. "Oh my god...did I-"

"-Nope. The demon did, but not you." She laughed. "Thanks for staying strong for me, kid."

"Indeed. You have quite the power in yourself, Coward. However..." A grim expression crossed Magnolia's face. "...the demon is gone only temporarily, according to Diancie."

Everyone gasped. "But...what do we do to stop him from coming back?" Jill's happy expression faded.

Dianice floated by. " _We'll need way more Fairy Pokemon to help drive him out. We need more holy power, enough to rid him of the boy forever._ "

"How many Fairy Pokemon?" I asked.

" _Like...a LOT more than just me. Each Fairy Pokemon only has a little bit of holy power, so if we counted the exact number we would need to exorcize a demon, we would need..."_ Diancie counted with her tiny fingers. " _...99._ "

My jaw dropped. "99?!"

Diancie laughed nervously. "Don't worry, I'm sure there are plenty of Pokemon willing to help you. I'll even ask my Fairy-type friends to help come and bless you."

"But until I get blessed does that mean I'll still be possessed?"

" _If you're not careful, you will be. Just don't lose your guard. Always be on alert and never doubt yourself. If you doubt yourself, you become weak, and if you're weak, he'll take over when you're most vulnerable._ "

I held my head and sighed. "I don't believe this..."

Jill smiled. "Chin up, Coward! You've got us to help you along the way!"

I grinned back at the girl. "I guess..."

An idea popped into Magnolia's mind. "Why don't you use your Pokemon journey to find Fairy-type Pokemon across the Regions who can help you? I'm sure they'll be TONS of Fairies on the journey!"

I groaned. "A Pokemon Journey?"

"You know what this means?" Jill giggled. "Road-trip!"

...

Jill kissed her father on the cheek. "Bye! See you later!"

"Be careful! I love you!"

The girl wore a navy blue dress with a poofy skirt that had white ruffles and lace underneath it. A short-sleeved white dress shirt was underneath the sleeveless dress, and strings of pearls were dangling around Jill's neck and wrists. Black Mary-Jane shoes were worn on her feet, as well as white socks with lace trimming the edges being underneath the shoes.

She carried a dark blue tote bag that bobbed up and down as she ran down the steps of her front porch. Her white hair was pulled back by a single bobby pin, and her smile was wide and joyful.

"Coward!" Jill laughed.

Coward turned to face the girl, smiling. His eyes seemed brighter than usual, his smile not a fake one. His orange hoodie was clean and bright, his backpack full of items for his journey.

"You ready?" Coward grinned.

Jill showed a smile that revealed her pearly whites. "You bet."

The two took off onto the cobblestone trail that led into a forest that was their first stop on their journey.

Coward's father, Ross, watched with a bit of sadness on his face. "Do you think he'll be okay out there?"

Magnolia grinned, her lip gloss glistening, her long, curly hair blowing slightly in the soft breeze. "I think as long as those two stick together they'll be just great out there."

"I'm just scared...my boy has been so different from everyone else all his life. I want to believe he's a changed man, but...what if he makes the wrong choices? What if he gets hurt?"

"With that demon around him all the time, I'm sure he'll be protected from anyone who do him harm. It would do anything to protect and keep his host alive, since he's his only way of having a physical form in the living world."

"You see? That's what's worrying me! A demon is attached to my son's back! How am I supposed to just be okay with that?!"

"As strong as your son's will is, I'm sure he'll be able to fight against anything that comes at him. And if that's not enough, his friends and Pokemon will be there to stand by him at all times." Magnolia rolled her eyes. "Looks like I'm the only person here with faith in your son, hm?"

"Wh-what?! Of course I have faith in him! I just-"

Magnolia laughed. "I'm kidding. I know, I know-you're just a father worried about his son, and there's nothing wrong with that." She let out a long sigh. "But even so, we must not lose our faith in the child. That is what saved him the first time, and it will continue to help him along his journey."

Ross nodded and crossed his arms. His eyes widened when he saw Coward laughing and smiling, waving goodbye from afar. A smile slowly grew across the father's face, and he waved back. Coward was finally becoming proud to be his father's son.

...

A Froakie hopped along the path with its owner, and a Chikorita went along on its merry way by humming a little song as a small smile sat on its face.

Two kids walked the road to the next city, the town just across a few bridges and one forest.

I glanced at what was behind me, and I screeched like a little girl when I saw my shadow.

Jill gasped in surprise. "What is it?"

I trembled and pointed at my shadow with a shaking hand. "M-My sh-shad-shadow...l-look..."

My shadow had demon horns and a devil's tail, and a deep cackle that spoke with my voice broke into the shocked silence. " **sCArEd bY yOUr oWn sHaDOW, cOwARD?** "

Jill's jaw dropped. "OH. MY. _GOD_. That. Is. So. FREAKY!"

" **nO ShIT, sHErloCK.** "

"Don't get sassy with me, Satan."

I rolled my eyes. "Just keep walking. Keep an eye out for Fairy-types, would ya?"

Jill couldn't keep her eyes off of the demonic shadow that followed me next to her. "I'm worried someone is going to see that and freak out."

"Why wouldn't they?"

"I mean...what if some religious fanatic freaks out and tries to kill you because they think you're an abomination of God?"

"They can try, but with him around, I don't think they'll get very far." I pointed my thumb at my shadow.

Jill sighed. "I can't believe this stuff..."

"Hello? Is someone there?"

The two of us and our Pokemon halted in their tracks at the sound of someone else's voice in the forest.

"Satan? Was that you?" Jill looked at the shadow.

"What?! What are you talking about?"

The owner of the voice came forward.

"Rupert?" I said.

The boy with scruffy black hair stood before us with his hands placed on his hips. He wore a pair of gray shorts and a thin, light blue button-up shirt that was open to reveal a dark blue shirt underneath it. Dirty white sneakers were worn on his feet, and his glasses were sitting lop-sided on his face.

Rupert fixed his glasses so that they sat properly. "Coward? What are doing here?"

"We're going on the whole 'Pokemon Journey' thing. What about you?"

"I'm...I'm going, too. You going after the Pokemon League thing, too?"

"Probably."

"How can you have a Journey and not go to the Gyms?" Rupert laughed nervously. "It's a yes or no thing, Coward."

We all stood in an awkwardly silence for a moment.

" **aWkWaRD, mUCh?** " The Dybbuk laughed.

I stomped on the shadow and it yelped in pain. Rupert tilted his head in confusion. "Who said that?"

"Who said what?" Jill smiled nervously. "I didn't hear anything."

Rupert scratched his head, then shrugged. "So, uh...who's this?" He pointed at Jill.

"Uh, Jill Zhao. Pleased to meet you." She shook hands with the boy. "I'm going of the Journey with Coward. So, are you one of his friends?"

Rupert laughed. "Sure. Why not?"

"Me and Rupert go way back."

"All the way back to the sixth grade when you started picking on me and making my life a miserable existence."

"Rupert!" Jill snapped.

"No, he's right." I calmed the girl down before she could go all ape-shit. "I'm an asshole. He's not wrong about that."

"Okay, what is with this bull? How come you're acting all goody-goody all of a sudden? What, are you born-again or something? 'Cause I don't see anything that could've made you have such a random switch in personality so quickly."

"I just...I don't wanna be mean anymore..."

"Oh, he doesn't wanna be mean anymore! Because obviously what you did to me was simply 'mean', nothing big." Rupert gritted his teeth. "My ASS that's what happened!"

"...What did you do to him, Coward?" Jill asked.

I bit my lip and didn't answer. I stared at the ground and Jill grew frustrated. "I said, what did you do to him, Coward?!"

"I...beat him up..."

"WHAT? WHY?!"

I clenched my fists. "It was back in the sixth grade...he had said something rude about my mother rotting in hell for raising someone so horrible like me..."

"Your mother? That was it? How could you-"

"My mom is DEAD, Jill! He said she was 'a whore that should rot in hell for raising a little bastard like you and I'm glad someone so awful is wiped off the face of this planet'."

Jill's eyes widened. "Why would you say something like that to him?"

"Because he made my life a living hell, that's why!"

"That's no reason to bring his mother into it!" Jill sighed. "You shouldn't let a bully make you become a bully!" She turned on me. "And you! You're a horrid person for doing that to him! How could you make a person hate you so much that they would say something like that to you?"

I felt like I could scream. I could solve all my problems and lash out at these two right now, but I can't. Not now. Please...don't do that...anything but that, you idiot...

I took a deep breath to calm myself. "I realize that picking on him wasn't a good thing. You don't realize the hell I go through every day remembering how horrible I was to people. You don't know how many times I've wanted to not live anymore because it was all too much..."

Rupert rolled his eyes. "It's your own fault for that."

"I KNOW! Don't you think I understand? How many times do I have to tell you I'm sorry? Of course, why would I expect you to forgive me...it is all my own fault. I deserve to never be forgiven, and I understand if you won't be able to do that..."

"UGH! Would you knock that off already?!"

"Knock what off?"

"That whole...'I understand you'll never forgive me' bullcrap! I can't stand it! Stop pretending to be nice! I don't believe it!"

Before I could say anything more, Jill stepped between me and Rupert.

"Neither of you are right. You're both bullies in your own rights. Neither of you did anything right." She looked up at Rupert. "So...if Coward is willing to apologize and regrets everything he's done, wouldn't the right thing to do as a man of good principles, a person who's NOT a bully, be to accept the apology and move on with his damn life?!"

Rupert didn't answer. He swallowed, and then let out a long breath. "...Fine." He walked over to me. "As someone who doesn't want to be a bully, I will forgive you." Before I could respond, Rupert held up his hand. " _But,_ that doesn't mean we're on good terms just yet. If I ever catch you being an ass to anyone ever again, we're back to me hating you."

"Th-thank you. I won't let you down."

Rupert took a few steps back. "So...the next time we meet...let's have a battle. Show me how much you've changed by being a good Trainer to your Pokemon."

I nodded.

Rupert took off into the forest on his own, and within seconds he disappeared into the green expanse.

"See?" Jill placed her hands on her hips. "All better."

I sighed, and we continued on our path to Ventus Town.

Professor Magnolia had recommended to us to complete the International Championships instead of taking the Regional Championships because we wouldn't be able to simply just look in the Johto for Fairy-type Pokemon, and we would have to go to a bunch of other Regions to look for ones. With the International Championships we could still compete in the Pokemon league and go to all the gyms while still being able to search for Fairies.

I never thought I would have to look for Fairies. Believe me, it wasn't my intention to do this. I would really rather just go to school and learn then fend for myself in the wild with a demon and a little girl.

I'm absolutely sure that everything will be just fine, though. What could go wrong?

I mean, besides all of the other things that went wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Oh. My. GOD." Jill halted in her tracks. "It's a freaking Buneary."

"I thought Bunearies were only from Sinnoh."

"I know, me too." Jill slowly reached into her bag and pulled out a Poke Ball. "Imma catch me one."

"What? Why would you want a Buneary? It evolves into Lopunny, and she looks like a Playboy Bunny."

"They do not!" The girl rolled her eyes. "I think Lopunnies look elegant."

The Buneary finally noticed us, and its ears perked up. It stood in frightened stillness for a moment before trying to dash away.

"Hurry, Cyndaquil! Use Ember!"

Cyndaquil breathed fire out of her mouth and targeted the Pokemon. The Buneary squeaked a bit when it got burned, distracting it long enough so that Jill could toss a Ball at it.

It shook once, twice...and it was captured.

"Woo-hoo!" Jill clapped while hopping up and down. "I'm gonna get a Lopunny!"

"I can just see it on its PokeDex entry; 'Lopunny; the Slut Pokemon. Uses its powers to overwhelm men and turn them into Furries.'"

"Coward, you're so judgemental! Not all Lopunnies are whores!"

"But let's not lie and say that some of them aren't for sure."

Jill groaned and placed the Poke Ball in her bag. We kept walking until the forest's path finally came to an end, where we were welcomed by the airy town of Ventus, Johto.

It was a small town that looked like it belonged in an old Western movie. All of the buildings were short and colorful, connected to each other and covered with detailed archways on every porch on each building. The road in the middle of the town was dusty and worn, as if a million feet had trekked on the grounds.

The smell of apples and cinnamon wafted through the air, and only a few people were out on the streets. There were no cars or trucks in the town, only a few horse-drawn carriages that made the place look twice as old-fashioned as it already was. Of the few people that were on the streets were incredibly friendly, waving to me and Jill as we walked by. It was as if we had been in the town for the longest time, knowing everyone there.

It was bizzare to say the very least. We didn't recognize any of the people there, so why were they being so friendly? Oh, well. It's some sort of country hospitality, I suppose.

A woman in a big white hat walked up to us and smiled. "Welcome to Ventus! Are you two new here?"

I tilted my head in confusion. "Uh...yeah. How'd you know?"

"Oh, I know all of the people in this town, and I've never seen you around here." She handed each of us a pamphlet and a gift bag. "Here! This is a guide to the town and a little gift from me."

"Oh...well...thanks!"

"No problem!" Her pure white teeth sparkled through her grin. "Enjoy your stay!"

Once the lady walked away, I leaned over to Jill and whispered in her ear. "Are you noticing what I'm noticing?"

"Yeah, everyone's really nice. I dunno why." She reached into the gift bag and pulled out a cookie. "Oh! Yummy!"

"Don't eat that!" I whispered in a shrill voice. "You don't eat food from strangers!"

"But I'm huuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnngrrrrrrryyyyyyy."

"Well, don't eat anything from these people. I don't know about them..."

"What, do you think this is the Village of the Damned or something?"

"I didn't say that."

"You think the people in this town are either demons or evil alien children, don't you? Just because you got a demon on your back doesn't mean everybody else has got one too."

I rolled my eyes. "You just can't trust strangers this quickly, that's all!"

"Mm-hmm, yeah, sure..." Jill's eyes lightened up. "Oh! This pamphlet says there's a fancy cafe just down the street we can eat at!"

She darted down the road, kicking dust behind her. I coughed as I accidentally inhaled the dust, sighing as I (much more slowly than Jill) walked to the cafe.

When I followed Jill to the building, I saw that the last building was different than all the others. It wasn't painted a bright and comfy-looking color, nor was it full of happy bystanders glad to meet you. Instead of it looking homely, it looked rundown and dusty, the metal archway rusted and corroded.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" I stood on the rickety porch of the "cafe".

"Who cares what it looks like on the outside? I'm starving!" Jill busted through the wooden front doors.

I followed her inside, but then I bumped into her as she had quickly halted in her tracks.

"Wh-what's wrong?"

She trembled. "I-I don't...why...how..."

I looked up at what she saw and I screamed. There were multiple decapitated animal heads, all with pained expressions on their faces, hanging on the walls of the supposed 'cafe'. Body parts sat in jars full of weird liquid on dusty shelves, and tons of books lay open to entries about voodoo magic. The whole room was dark and smelled awful, the dead animals rotting as they sat in permanent fear.

The walls were covered in strange writings written in the style of the Unown alphabet. The writings recited eerie chants and curses, and it made me want to get the hell outta this place even more.

An old man stumbled into the room. He had an odd looking white beard and worn-out green hat on his head. He carried a huge set of gardening scissors with him, the scissor clinking and clanking on the floor as he walked in. "Hn? What are you doing here? Get out!"

"S-Sorry...wrong building..." Jill ran out the front door.

Before I could follow her, the old man grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me. "WAIT! You are not one of them. You are new to this town, yes?"

I nodded awkwardly.

"Listen, sprout. Forget about whatever you came to this town for and leave. You are not prepared for what this place has to offer to you. _RUN_."

"S-Sure..."

I darted out of the place at top speed.

When I was out of earshot of the old man, I sat down next to Jill to try and catch my breath. "Aw jeez, now I smell like dead animals."

"I'm sorry. I think I read the map upside down."

I took the pamphlet out her hands. "I'll read the map from now on."

...

We finally found the correct address, and we sat down to eat. Jill pulled a small box out of her bag, opening the box to reveal a small kit for making friendship bracelets. It only made her more frustrated when she couldn't get the strings through the holes in the beads. I had no idea why she was doing it. Maybe she thought that it would help her calm down by focusing on something else? If that was the case, it wasn't working.

"Ugh, that was so scary! I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks!" Jill sobbed.

"Did you see the Unown writings all over the place?"

"No, I was too busy being traumatized by the animal heads just decking the halls!"

"How old must a book be to be written in such an ancient language?..."

"How old and crazy must the person who KILLED those innocent creatures have been?!"

"It's your own fault for going into the scary place when I specifically told you NOT to go into the scary place!"

"Sorry for not wanting to judge a book by its cover, Coward!"

"Yeah, but when a book's cover obviously shows signs of death and decay on the inside you don't open the book because what's inside is a freaking FREAK SHOW!"

"...You just lost yourself a friendship bracelet."

"Don't lie to yourself. You couldn't make a bracelet for me even if you wanted to."

"Don't sass me, Anti-Christ."

I sighed and began to look around the room. Seemed like a decent enough place to be, right? Everyone was calm and happy, and everything seemed perfect in such a perfect town.

Then I looked closer.

Each and every person in the room besides me and Jill had one of their eyes covered up. They either had their hair covering up one of their eyes or wore an eyepatch. I thought I was going crazy until I finally asked Jill if she was seeing what I was seeing.

"Um...Jill?"

Jill didn't look up from her menu. "Mm-hmm?"

"Have you...noticed anything...I dunno...'off' about this place?"

"You mean besides the voodoo priest?"

"...Yeah."

"...No, I haven't. What else could you be talking about?"

I leaned closer to the girl and whispered so no one else in the room could hear us. "Have noticed everyone's eyes?"

"Their eyes?" She finally looked up from her menu. "What's wrong with them?"

"Everyone is this room only has one eye."

Jill glanced up at everyone and had to double take when she realized I was right. "Well...maybe it's a birth defect. In small towns like this people are usually closely related because one family years ago came here to found this town, and the descendants of that family must be the citizens of this town. They could all be related in some way, and because of that they share the same birth defect in which they were born without one of their eyes."

I scratched my head. "I mean...maybe that's the case...but I don't know for sure if that's true. What if it's something else?"

"What else could it be?"

I bit my bottom lip. I didn't really have an answer for her. "...I don't know."

It was kind of scaring me. Why did everyone only have one eye? Maybe it was just a birth defect, but even so, that didn't seem very probable that every single person was born with that defect. Maybe they all got into a freak accident that left them with just one eye, but it was too crazy to just be a coindence that all of the people got into an accident in the same town at the same time. Maybe the old man had something to do with it? Perhaps he scooped the eyes out of all of the people for his satanic-black-magic rituals? Then again, he was the one who told us to get out of this town. Was he trying to save us from something? If so, what was it?

So...what the hell was going on with this town?

Both me and Jill were pretty nervous the rest of our time there. We couldn't really eat because we were so jittery, so we just picked our things and left the cafe. Everyone watched us oddly as we left, as if it was the most insulting thing in the world to leave.

" **hMph. PUsSiEs.** **i WoULd'vE bEaTEN tHOSE fREAKs. ThEY shOULd kEEp TO tHemsELvEs.** "

"Shush, El Diablo. No one wants to hear your bitching." Jill groaned.

" **bITe mE, wHOre.** "

Jill flipped the shadow off and continued on her way. We would've kept walking if the same woman from earlier hadn't stopped us.

"Hey, what's the problem, kids? Why are you leaving so soon?"

"Sorry, we gotta leave. It's the whole point of having a Pokemon Journey, you know?"

The woman sidestepped us. "I insist. Stay longer."

"Really, we have to go."

"I don't think so."

Suddenly, all of the people in the town stood up and stared at us. They looked at us with empty stares and blank expressions, slowly walking towards our group.

Jill freaked out. "Coward, what-"

"-I don't know. Run!"

I grabbed Jill's hand and dragged her out of the crowd. They all began to chase after us, the crowd screaming and shouting as they did so. We ran for the longest time, but we couldn't shake off our attackers.

We quickly turned around a corner to hide, and someone grabbed ahold of my hand. I looked to see it was the old man from earlier. "Hurry! Hide!"

He led us inside of his building quickly, fast enough so that the crowd didn't see us go in. They ran right past the shop, still thinking they were hot on our trail.

I gave a breath of relief. "Thanks. You saved us."

"You're not out of bounds yet, sprout! They'll be lookin' high and low for you two youngin's! What were you thinking? I told y'all to high-tail your way outta this town! The people here can't be trusted!"

"But why? Why are they after us?" I asked.

The old man sighed. "It is a long and tragic story of a curse brought upon a father who didn't love his children. It's a crazy tale, but it will explain to you why the people of this town are monsters now."

"I'll believe anything at this point."

"Very well, then. Come with me into the hidden room. The villagers will not find us there."

The man led us into a vault disguised as a painting. The painting was actually a door to the vault, and when you pushed the painting off the wall the opening to the hidden room was revealed. We all hurried inside as we heard the townspeople rioting outside, trying to find us.

The old-timer quickly closed the door behind him, sighing as he sat down in a chair placed in the secret room. "Have a seat, whippersnappers."

"Tee-hee, story time!" Jill clapped and giggled as her Froakie hopped happily up and down.

The shadow groaned. " **uGh, KiLL mE.** "

The man cleared his throat and began to speak. "You of course know about our alphabet, yes? And the Ruins of Alph that sit just beyond our town? Well, they both have a connection. You see, I'm not quite sure whether this is a wive's-tale or if this is all based on fact-with the insanity of our modern world, you really can't tell if such a tale is true. But nevertheless, one day, it was said that the creator of the alphabet brought his work to life. He had put so much of his heart and soul into making the writings that they sprung right off the page, floating around and making the most bizarre noises man has ever heard. All they wanted was for their creator to love them, but the man was appalled by his own creation. He believed that the reason his work came to life was because of devil's magic, that demons were at work here. So, he came to resent his children, despising them no matter what they did to make him happy. Then one day, the children grew tired of the hatred shown to them. If they couldn't have their main wish, to be loved by their father, their second most important wish would be fulfilled-to gain sight. They went to their father's bedside one night as he slept, and they then stole the eyes of their creator, putting them in themselves so they could see. Their creator was blind until the day he died, still resenting his children. But that wasn't the end of the children's curse-all of the people in their father's town were cursed as well. Since the alphabet writings were treated so horribly by their father, they came to believe that all humans were just like him, cruel and unloving. Since there were 26 of the writings that still did not have eyes, since they could only get two eyes from their father, they stole the eyes of all the villagers as well. These creatures of the ancient alphabet with eyes are what we know today as the 'Unown'."

"The Unown?"

"Indeed. Though I cannot prove the story is real, the townspeople believe it is true. They believe in it so completely that they sacrifice their own eyes to the Unown so that they do not come to kill them as they sleep. That is why each person in this town only has one eye. They have pretended to be kind to you, yes?"

I nodded.

"That is their usual plan. They trick you into thinking this is the happiest, most pleasant town in all of Johto, but it is not so. They lure you into a sense of comfort and then when you're most vulnerable, they cut out your eyes so that they can sacrifice them to the Unown. They wish to steal other people's eyes rather than their own, but most of the time no new people visit this town, so they think they must give out one of their own eyes as tribute. They all keep at least one eye so that they're not as completely blind as a Zubat."

"Oh my Arceus! What a horrible thing to do! So they wanted to carve out our eyes for that stupid nonsense? That's insane!" Jill screeched.

I felt like I could barf. _That_ was why they all only had one eye? Because of some stupid myth that's probably not even true? Had people really become so paranoid that they actually believed the Unown were out to get them? For Chrissake, what the hell was wrong with the Johto region these days?

" **thEse gUys SeEm LiKE mY KInd oF pEOple.** "

The old man's eyes shot up. "Who said that?"

" **yOU'rE jUSt hEARing tHINgs AgAIN, oLd-tIMEr.** "

"I...I can't be...did you two hear that?"

We both smiled nervously. "Heard what?"

We fooled the man into thinking he was going crazy just so he didn't see the demon. Poor guy. He didn't deserve it.

Jill cleared her throat. "So...what do we do? Do we just hide in here for the time being?"

"I don't know, dear. I wouldn't go out into that crowd if I were you."

"Well...we could fight back with our Pokemon!"

"What, you mean the level 5 starters you have? I don't think you can fight against their level 50 Pokemon with that scrawny little thing."

Froakie whimpered and Jill made a little "hmph" noise. "He's not scrawny! He's gonna be a ninja someday!"

"He ain't gonna be a ninja if gets murdered in cold blood!"

Jill gasped. "Don't. Even. Suggest THAT!"

"Oh, get a grip on reality, woman! We ain't gonna live if we take a step out that door!"

Chikorita sobbed and began to cry. She cowered in fear of what lay beyond our secret room, shaking as she sat in my lap.

"We can't be stuck in here forever! We'll have to find a way to escape this town somehow..."

Jill's eyes brightened up. "Oh! Coward, I have an idea! Why don't you use your 'special friend' to get us out of here?"

"Special...friend? What in god's name are you talking about?"

"You know...your...Dybbuk."

"Hm? What's that? Is that one of those new fangled Pokemon they just discovered?" The old man picked his ears.

"Sure, Gramps."

"I ain't yer Gramps! I'm only forty years old!"

"Whoa, you're _forty_?" Jill's jaw dropped.

"What, did you think I look older than that?"

"Uh, no sir...um...you look quite young for forty."

"Now that's something I need to hear! Releases the stress off of my old bones, ya know?"

" **yOu knOW, i'M stILL pIsSed aBOUt thE whOLE 'DiAnCIe iNCIDent'. tHIS wiLL noT GO uNOTciED, gOt iT? IF yOU thINk i'M juST goNNa sAVe yOU biTCHes, yOU goT aNOTHer THIng cOMIng-** "

"-Then what the hell do you want me to do, sell my soul to you?!"

" **...sUrE.** "

"I wasn't serious, buttmunch!"

"...Who's he talking to?" The man pointed at me.

"You know how you hear things? He hears things too."

"Aw, the poor boy. Wait-how did you know I was hearing things?!"

"If I'm killed by the people out there, you won't have a vessel in the living world!"

" **i CAn AlWays jUST fINd aNOTHer hOSt.** **PErhaPS tHAT liTtLe gIRL wILL wORk BESt...** "

"Don't even think about touching her."

Suddenly, the shadow moved from me to Jill. Her shadow was now the one with demonic features.

The little girl suddenly burst into laughter, her voice echoing alongside of another voice that sounded nightmarish and deep. " **gOT yOU wHEN yOU wEre LeaST ExPECTING iT, bITcH!** "

Jill's nails elongated into claws, her teeth razor-sharp, her eyes gold and cat-like. A tiny pair of demon wings sprouted from her back, and they flapped excitedly.

The old man scratched his head. "I don't understand what's happening. Is she a Pokemon? Because I think she just evolved."

" **hELL yeAH, I jUSt eVolVEd! I EvolVeD iNTO tHOse bITcheS ouTsIDE wORsT nIGHTmaRE!** "

"Wait...so you _will_ help us?"

" **i COuLdn'T hELp yOU iN yOUR wEak-Ass bODy. tHIS oNE iS sTRONGER, moRe enERgEtiC.** "

"How can a twelve-year old's body be stronger than a teenager's body?!"

...

"THERE THEY ARE!"

The villagers excitedly ran towards our group, shouting and tripping over each other as they did so. One of them wielded a crescent-shaped blade that shimmered in the light of the setting sun. He snickered as he slowly stepped toward us, the crowd gathering around our group so we couldn't get away.

"Now, be good little children and let the adults take care of you, huh?"

As the man neared us, Jill (or more obviously, the Dybbuk) whispered in the ears of the rest of the group. " **dON'T hIT 'eM 'tIL yOU SeE tHE WhITe oF tHEir eYes.** "

I nodded. The people wielding torture devices stepped closer, closer...

...and then they were so close I saw the white of their eyes.

I punched a woman holding a butcher knife square in the nose. She doubled over and everyone gasped. All of the villagers then let out a battle cry and ran straight towards us.

The demon kicked the weapons out of the angered people's hands, smashing its foot into the chins of our attackers. It punched countless men in the gut, knocking them over in pain.

The old man whipped out his giant pair of gardening scissors, and the townspeople laughed.

"Wow, you really think that cheap piece of plastic can hurt _us_?"

"This cheap piece of plastic has been in my custody for thirty long years. It's been with me through thick and thin, and I believe it won't let me down now."

"Whatever you say, old-timer."

The man slashed his scissor blade across the chest of his attacker, a gashing wound bleeding out as a result.

He spat on the ground and gave a dirty glare at the man who attempted to hurt him. "You got your pitiful blood stained on my favorite tool. Get ready, whippersnapper, 'cuz I ain't holding back!"

The old guy was right. He had quite the power in him, and he wasn't going to let any of it go to waste. He snipped and slashed all of those in his path, cutting everyone down like weeds.

The demon wasn't doing too bad, either. It flew up into the air on its tiny wings, flying over people's heads and kicking them in the skull.

Me? Well, I took out, like...four...maybe five people while the others took out dozens.

Don't judge. You would've done the same too.

Eventually, all the one-eyed citizens fell to the ground groaning in pain or bleeding and bruised, unable to have the strength to fight.

Except for one of them.

One of the men tore the scissor blade out of the older fellow's hands and made a dash to stab Jill in the neck while she wasn't paying attention.

"JILL!"

I ran between Jill and the man, taking the blow. I got scratched across the face, a bulging scar bleeding out on my reddened face.

"COWARD!" Jill's spirit broke through.

She ran over to me and tried helping me on my feet.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but I think my nose is broken. He hit it pretty hard..."

Jill stood up angrily, stomping towards the citizen. I noticed that now she had only one demon wing on her back, and the other wing was now a feathery angel wing. Perhaps it represented that both Jill and the demon were in control at the same time, in perfect unision with each other?

"How DARE YOU even attempt to hurt him?! I will END YOU-"

"-STOP!" The old man cut in. "It's not worth it. Let's just leave this town already."

Jill stood indecisive for a moment before giving the scissor blade back to the man in green. The wings on her back disappeared, and the monstrous features on her face faded. Her shadow still retained its demonic features, the figure grinning wickedly.

I stomped on Jill's shadow and it cried out in pain. "Get back over here, you dumb prick!"

" **aW, dOEs dADDy wANT mE tO COme hOME?** "

I rolled my eyes. "Just do it already."

The demon hopped from Jill's body to mine, attaching itself to my shadow once more.

The monster laughed. " **i LikED bEIng hERE beTter, ANywAYs. yOU're MuCH wEAKer tHAn hEr. YoU'rE eAsIeR tO cOntROL.** "

"And you're much easier for me to kick in the balls. We clear on that?"

...

We all darted out of the town, never looking back once. We wanted to get the hell out of that place before the townspeople woke from their unconcious states to attack us once more.

When we were finally out of Ventus and in the forest outside of it, I finally stopped to catch my breath, and I noticed the old man carrying all of his belongings on his back in a huge green backpack. It looked like he was prepared for escaping this godforsaken town.

"Were you planning on getting outta dodge, Mister?"

"Yer correct, sprout! I came to this town to approve of building a new Gym here, but obviously I can't approve now. This place is nuttier than a Watchog snuffing crack!"

"You know what? We've been hanging out all day and I still don't know your name."

"The name be Ramos, young sprout." He extended his hand out to shake mine. "Pleasure to meetcha."

I shook my hand in his. "Nice to make your acquaintance."

Ramos sighed and looked towards the setting sun. "I hope our paths cross again someday. Come visit me in Kalos, ya got it?"

"Yessir."

"Wait," Jill's hand shot up. "There's still something I don't understand."

"What's that, youngin'?"

"Why did you have all of that crazy voodoo-black-magic stuff in your building?"

Ramos breathed in deeply. "Well...let's just say coming to approve of the construction of a gym wasn't the only thing I came to do in this town, if you know what I mean." He winked at us.

I had no idea what he meant, but I just smiled at the man as he laughed heartily.

"You whippersnappers crack me up! The looks on your faces!...Oh, well. I better get goin'. See ya later, sprouts." Ramos began to walk away, his scisssor blade being held over his back.

Once he was finally out hearing range, I began walking with Jill through the forest. "I wonder what he was talking about when he said there was more to what he came to Ventus for..."

Jill shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe he's a satanist and this is a Hellmouth."

"I wouldn't be too surprised if that was the case."

"Whatever the case, do you think that the next town will be as scary as the first one?"

"I dunno. I've been to almost every place in Johto, except this town. All of the other towns seemed pretty nice. I wonder how we came upon this town, though? It seems like it's cut off from the rest of the world, like it's trapped in time or something. It seems like it's really hard to find and pretty unknown since this town wasn't even listed on the map."

"Really? That's so weird! Do you think...do you think that _really was_ a Hellmouth?"

We both halted in our tracks in fear. Perhaps that town really was a small slice of hell, trapped in the time of the Old West, the villagers cursed to forever atone for their sins by never finding peace due to constant paranoia from fear of the Unown coming to steal their eyes and kill them...

...But that didn't really matter right now. It seemed that the Town of Ventus was never meant to be discovered, and we would gladly never break its barriers again.

The question at hand was still unanswered...how did Ramos know about that place if it was never meant to be found? What secrets was he hiding? For his sake I hoped he wouldn't venture into the town ever again.

Jill stopped to look up at something. "Coward, look!"

A huge cave stood high above us, a gaping hole seemingly being the only entrance to the cave.

The girl looked at her map. "The map says the only way to the next town is to go through this cave."

"Are you sure you're not reading the map upside down again?"

"I'm sure of it. You can even read the map yourself."

I sighed. "Whatever. What is this cave called, anyways? I bet it has a buttload of Zubats in it..."

"This is called..." She squinted at the words on the map. "...the Ruins of Alph."

...

"Hello? Professor Bonsai?"

"Well, if it isn't little old Ramos. How's the research goin', buddy?"

"I couldn't stay in Ventus for very long. I had to help these kids get out before you-know-who came take their eyes."

"Ah, I see. So you didn't find Chrysanthia?"

"No. I'm sorry, Professor. But perhaps I may return at some point."

"No, don't trouble yourself. You shouldn't have gone there in the first place, Ramos. You could've gotten killed. Your research is not worth your life."

"Yes, yes. I know, sprout. All I wanted to do was find her."

"I absolutely forbid you from going to back to that place, you hear me? It's too dangerous. The people there are insane."

"You're tellin' me! I almost got me eyes popped outta me own head!"

"Well, maybe someone oughtta not go to the forbidden, hidden village in the middle of nowhere ever again, hm?"

"Alright, alright! So, what about your research? Did you find Laverous yet?"

"Actually, I caught footage of him!...But he flew away before I could examine him any further."

"What a shame. You be careful out there, ya hear me?"

"Loud and clear. Now don't you dare get yourself hurt out there!"

"You're a persistant whippersnapper, eh?"

Bonsai laughed. "Are we still on for the meeting on Monday?"

"Yep. See you there."

Ramos closed his phone and sighed. "Chrysanthia...Imma comin' to getcha, don't you worry..."


End file.
